


Carry On, My Holy Sons

by therunawaypen



Series: Supernatural Tumblr Prompt Fills [9]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Angel Dean, Angel Sam, Apocalypse, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Hunter Castiel, Hunter Gabriel, Hunter Lucifer, Hunter Michael, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-26
Updated: 2014-06-26
Packaged: 2018-02-06 06:57:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1848697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therunawaypen/pseuds/therunawaypen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Since the death of their mother at the hands of a demon, the Ruger brothers have been trained to hunt by their father. Michael, Lucifer, Gabriel, and Castiel Ruger have been taught that hunting is their holy mission, that they must sent the unholy beasts back to hell.</p><p>A childhood of hunting monsters strains the bonds of brotherhood, causing Gabriel to run away and Lucifer to leave to go to college. Leaving Michael and Castiel to hunt.</p><p>But with the death of their father brings something big on the horizon for the brothers, something that will require them to band together. To make matters more complicated, Castiel keeps hearing the voice of an "angel." An incredibly foulmouthed angel he calls Dean.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Carry On, My Holy Sons

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is for cara-tanaka, who won my 600 Follower Giveaway! This is only the first part of course lol. Enjoy!

When eight year old Castiel was woken up in the middle of the night, and his first reaction was to reach for the gun under his pillow, he knew he wasn’t a normal child.

When the thing waking him turned out to be a wraith and his reflexes had saved his life, he knew that normal got you killed.

He was fine not being normal. He hadn’t been normal since he was an infant. Not since the yellow eyed demon had killed his mother. His oldest brother Michael remembered the night best, though he didn’t talk about it much. Lucifer, on the other hand, was the one who told Castiel about the horrible night their father found their mother hanging from the ceiling above Castiel’s crib before spontaneously bursting into flames, and how Michael carried Castiel out of the house while their father fetched Gabriel, who had been asleep at the time.

It was a night that Castiel was glad to not have memories of. Growing up, there had been plenty of nights when Michael woke up screaming from nightmares of their mother’s burning body and their father would walk him through his prayers (Castiel always watched; pretending to be asleep). Lucifer had nightmares as well, but he pretended not to. He didn’t like showing that he was affected. It may have resulted in him developing a vengeful anger—he was the first to make a kill when their father taught them to hunt.

Hunting was all Castiel knew. His father, and then later Michael, always told him it was his duty to hunt. It was their holy mission.

“The people of the world are like sheep: oblivious to the wolves around them that would gladly devour them.” His father once said.

“And are we the shepherd?” Castiel had asked.

His father simply shook his head, “No Castiel, we are the huntsmen.”

And so Castiel and his brothers hunted. He learned how to load a shotgun shell with rock salt, he learned to salt and burn bones, he learned to research. He learned to kill. They all did, but Castiel had become a killer the youngest. After Castiel had killed the wraith, Michael had taken him to Father Joshua’s parish and Castiel had partaken in his first confessional.

“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.” Castiel might have been young, but he knew what words to say. “This is my first confession.”

He could see Joshua’s smooth coffee colored face through the confessional grate, a familiar sight. “What sin have you to confess, child?”

Castiel didn’t hesitate, “I have sent an unholy beast back to the depths of hell.”

A small smile formed on Father Joshua’s face, “Following in the family calling, I see.”

In the end, Castiel only had to say one Hail Mary. And that was the beginning of his hunting career.

Of course, things had gone downhill shortly after. It began when their father decided to search for the demon that had killed their mother on their own. Which left Michael, only eighteen at the time, to take care of his brothers while trying to continue hunting.

Michael did his best: he educated them, fed them, made sure they had everything they needed, kept them safe. He was a gifted leader…he just wasn’t their father.

Gabriel ran away when he was fifteen, two years after their father had left and when Castiel had only been twelve. It was a hard day for Castiel—Gabriel was always one for a smile and a joke, and he had been one of Castiel’s closest friends during their childhood…if not one of his only friends.

 _I can’t take the fighting_. That was all that was written on the note. No one was sure if Gabriel meant the hunting or the fighting between Michael and Lucifer. But if Gabriel left because of the fighting, than his leaving only made it worse.

Both Michael and Lucifer were strong willed individuals, and they often bumped heads. Michael had always followed their father’s instructions and believed their father knew what was best for them. Lucifer…not so much.

Things came to a boiling point when Lucifer snapped and declared he was done hunting and done with the family.

_“You walk out that door, don’t even bother coming back!” Michael had shouted at the fever pitched of their fight._

_“Nothing would give me greater pleasure.” Lucfier shot back, “Maybe I’ll go to college like a normal person.”_

And just like that, only Michael and Castiel were left to carry on the holy crusade their father had left them.

And it continued on that way for four years. They had found a way to make it work.

But things had changed. Something big was coming.

Castiel shook himself out of his thoughts as he realized that he had arrived at his destination. It was eerie, breaking the silence of the night with the engine of the black ’67 Camero as he crept along the secluded roads that wound their way through the area. There were a number of elegant and regal looking buildings, no doubt older than Castiel could even guess. It was certainly a far cry from the cheap motels in which he had grown up.

The young hunter drove until he found the building with the address that matched the one he had scribbled on a diner napkin. After that, he parked and turned off the car’s engine before looking up in the rearview mirror at the backseat passenger.

Michael lay in the Camero’s backseat, eyes closed and hands folded over his chest as he clutched their mother’s rosary. It had been a habit of Michael’s to sleep with the rosary ever since their father had given it to him. It kept the nightmares away.

“Michael.”

The eldest brother opened one eye, instantly aware. Michael was a light sleeper. All good hunters were (the rest didn’t last that long). The single blue eye met Castiel’s own in the mirror. “We’re here.” Castiel nodded, getting out of the car.

As Michael got up and out of the back seat, Castiel could hear the _cracks_ and _pops_ of his brother’s back. The Camero was not the ideal place to sleep, but Michael had driven himself to the point of exhaustion, and they could not afford to stop. Which was the only reason Castiel had been allowed to drive.

Already, Castiel had passed back the keys to his brother as they climbed the front steps of the building. “Sure is fancy.” Castiel mused, looking at the décor.

Michael rolled his eyes, getting a lock pick from his pocket and getting to work on the front door, “Such a waste of money. There are better things to spend money on.” The front door opened with a click, “Such as a decent lock. I barely had to try. It’s like Lucifer _wants_ to be attacked.” The eldest brother shook his head as he stepped into the building, with Castiel right behind him.

The interior of the building was as nice as the exterior. It looked expensive, at least in Castiel’s eyes. “How many people do you think live here?” he wondered quietly.

Michael shook his head, “Who knows? I wouldn’t put it passed Lucifer to live here by himself.”

They were interrupted by Castiel’s stomach rumbling loudly, causing the young hunter to blush.

The older brother smiled softly, “I saw the kitchen through there.” He pointed through one of the doorways, “You better eat up, we may not be stopping for food for a while.”

Castiel didn’t need to be told twice, heading to the fridge in the kitchen. Living on what little money Father Joshua gave them meant living on the lean budget Michael had for them. So when Castiel saw the wrapped hamburger in the fridge, he couldn’t help himself. He was already three bites into the burger when he heard the loud _crash_ in the living room. Not wanting to leave his brother in danger, Castiel rushed to Michael’s aid.

Fortunately, Michael was in no danger, having pinned Lucifer to the floor.

Unfortunately, Lucifer did not look happy to see them.

“Damn it Michael, I thought you were a creeper.” Lucifer fumed, trying to free himself from Michael’s grasp.

Michael shook his head, standing, “You’re getting rusty, Lucifer. If I had been ghoul, you would have been dead.”

“If you had been a ghoul, I would have been happier to see you.” Lucifer scowled as he got to his feet. It was then that he noticed Castiel, “I see you didn’t waste any time with raiding the fridge, Castiel. I should tell you, that burger might be a month old.”

The burger was out of Castiel’s mouth before he saw the satisfied smirk on Lucifer’s face, “Jerk.” He muttered.

Lucifer snorted, “Bitch.” He shook his head, “Not that I’m happy to see you or anything, but why are you here?”

“Trust me, we would not have found you if it weren’t of the utmost importance.” Michael assured Lucifer, “Father is—”

The eldest brother stopped speaking, however, when the sound of footsteps could be heard from the floor above, making their way to the stairway and down to their floor. Soon, there was a woman making an appearance in the doorway, rubbing sleep from her eyes and pushing her blonde hair from her face.

“Luce?” The blonde murmured sleepily, stifling a yawn, “What’s going on?”

While Castiel looked confused (who was she? And who was Luce?), Lucifer seemed to be relatively at ease, “Don’t worry Lilith…it’s just my brothers.”

“You never mentioned brothers, Luce.” The blonde, Lilith, blinked.

“We aren’t close.” Lucifer bit out, tense, “And they were just leaving.”

“After we borrow your…boyfriend for a moment.” Michael stated politely, if a bit stiffly. Castiel didn’t blame him, considering the fact the woman appeared to be wearing nothing but what looked like one of Lucifer’s shirts (Castiel hoped she was at least wearing undergarments).

Lucifer’s face hardened, “No.” He stated firmly, moving to Lilith’s side, wrapping his arm around her waist, “Whatever you have to say, you can say to both of us.”

Michael raised an eyebrow, “Very well.” He said calmly, “Dad’s dead.”

Lucifer scoffed, “Good.”

“He left us something in his… _will_.”

All color drained from Lucifer’s face, “Lilith, could you give me and my brothers a moment alone?” He didn’t even wait for an answer before dragging Michael and Castiel outside.

The door had barely shut behind them when Lucifer turned on them, “What the hell are you trying to pull?”

Castiel ignored the question in favor of his own, “Luce?”

Lucifer sighed, “No one is going to hire a lawyer named Lucifer. So I go by Luce, Luce Ruger.”

“Are you living in debauchery with that woman?” Michael interrupted, frowning.

“If you’re asking if she’s my girlfriend, then yes.” Lucifer, Luce, rolled his eyes, “Don’t tell me you’re still following Dad’s code of celibacy…” Seeing his brothers’ faces, he scoffed, “You are…poor bastards. Better make sure you two don’t run into Gabriel.”

Castiel’s eyes brightened, “You’ve talked to Gabriel?”

Luce smirked, “It’s amazing what you can do when you aren’t living out of the back of a Camero.”

“We’ve gotten off topic.” Michael shook his head.

“Yes, let’s get down to business.” Luce crossed his arms, “Dad’s mysterious will. So tell me, what could Dad have possibly left us with?”

In response, Michael drew a small cassette player from his jacket pocket, “Dad left this with Father Joshua, who gave it to us.”

He pressed the play button, letting their father’s voice cut through the tension.

 _“Boys, if you’re listening to this, then I am probably dead.”_ The family patriarch’s voice was distorted slightly by the poor quality cassette, but it was still recognizable as his voice, “ _If I am, then it’s up to you to carry on what I started. I’ve discovered something terrible on the horizon—the Apocalypse itself. Mankind will not be able to survive a war between Heaven and Hell, and we’re the only ones with the knowledge to stop it. It’s up to you now.”_

The recording ended abruptly, leaving the brothers standing surrounded by a heavy silence.

“Wow…” Luce shook his head, “He couldn’t even tell us about the damn Apocalypse in person, he had to use Father Joshua…again.” He scoffed.

“Lucifer—Luce—this is serious.” Castiel insisted. “This concerns all of us.”

“No, it concerns hunters, which I am not.” Luce shook his head, “Tell me, did Dad ever come back to discover that Gabriel had run away and that I left?”

Neither Michael nor Castiel answered. But then again, they didn’t need to.

“That’s what I thought.” Luce smirked, “Well have fun with the Apocalypse, you two.” He made his way back to the front door.

Michael frowned, grabbing Luce by the arm, “Don’t you dare turn your back on us like this, Lucifer.”

Luce wheeled on Michael, grabbing him by the collar, “How _dare_ you. You’re the one who told me not to come back, you turned your back on me. And you have the audacity to tell _me_ I’m turning my back? Fuck you, Michael. Don’t ever try and contact me again, and don’t think for one second that I’ll ever tell you were Gabriel is.” With that, Luce slammed the door behind him, leaving the remaining brothers on the porch.

“That went better than expected.” Castiel muttered.

Michael shook his head, “Of all the times for Lucifer to be so selfish…Luce indeed…”

No doubt there was more to Michael’s rant, but Castiel couldn’t hear it. The words of his brother had been drowned out by a ringing in Castiel’s ears and the young hunter felt a shiver creep up his spine. It was a familiar sensation, though one he kept secret from Michael.

For good reason.

 ** _“Get your ass in there, your brother is in danger!”_** A voice in the back of his mind screamed, a noise that tore through Castiel’s being. It was a familiar voice to Castiel, a voice that always spoke to him when there was danger close by.

“Michael, we need to get to Luce, _now_. He’s in danger!” He urged, trying the doorknob to the front door. Locked.

“I know, but Lucifer is being stubborn at the moment.” Michael grumbled, fiddling with his lock pick and oblivious to the sense of urgency in Castiel’s voice. But then again, Michael had never known about the voice that spoke to Castiel in times of need…

But then another all too familiar voice tore through the night, filled with terror and pain.

_“Lilith!”_

At hearing Lucifer’s screams, Michael abandoned the lock pick and simply kicked the door in, storming into the house with Castiel right on his tail. They were up the stairs before either of them had time to even guess where Luce might be. It didn’t take them long to realize that Lucifer was in the bedroom, and so Michael raced into the room to check on their brother. Castiel followed behind Michael, just as he always did—

But this time, Michael stood frozen in place, his face twisted in terror and eyes wide with fear. Castiel could see Luce collapsed at the foot of the bed, staring up at the ceiling in abject horror, where Lilith was now being consumed by hellfire. It was seeing his oldest brothers’ reactions, coupled with the story of their mother’s death, that made Castiel realize the scene he was watching unfold had happened before…but to their mother.

**_“Don’t just stand there, you moron! You three are going to be Hellfire Barbeque if you don’t move your ass! And I am not bringing you back to life if you die because you were too stupid to move.”_ **

It was the abrasive voice in his mind that jolted Castiel from his stupor. But his brothers were still lost in their own traumatic memories (and in Luce’s case, the present horror). And so Castiel got them all out the fastest way he could think of.

In hindsight, pushing his brothers out a second story window might not have been all that brilliant. But Castiel had been in panic mode, and there had been a good deal of shrubbery under the window.

“Dear God in Heaven…” Michael whispered, staring at the flames escaping from the window. It was sheer habit that prompted the eldest brother to grip their mother’s rosary so tightly his knuckles turned white.

Luce, however, was at a loss for words.

Well, all words but one.

“Lilith…”

* * *

 

They sat in silence in the Camero for nearly an hour, with Michael driving them out of town as quickly as possible and Luce in the backseat, staring blankly out the window.

Castiel looked in concern at his estranged brother in the rearview mirror, “…I’m sorry…” He said weakly.

Luce’s eyes briefly met Castiel’s in the mirror before the older brother looked back out the window, “Of all the people I deserve apologies from, you are not one of them, Castiel.”

“Still, Luce—”

“Luce Ruger died with Lilith.” The blond snapped, “It would seem I was never meant to escape this life…I’m Lucifer Ruger once again…”

The Ruger brothers fell back into silence, no one knowing exactly what to say.

**_“Well you guys are a barrel of fun. Here’s hoping Gabe brings the fun back when you get to Vegas.”_ **

“Let’s just get to Las Vegas and find Gabriel.” Castiel sighed, looking ahead at the road. That was until he gasped in pain as Lucifer grabbed a fistful of his hair, holding it taut along with the silver dagger pressed to Castiel’s throat.

“Lucifer!” Michael looked at the younger brothers in alarm, pulling the Camero off the road, “What is wrong with you? And where the hell did you get that knife?”

“Give me some credit, Michael, I’m not completely rusty.” Lucifer rolled his eyes, “As for Castiel…I never said anything about Gabriel being in Las Vegas. So how the hell did you know where he was?”

Castiel felt his blood run cold as he felt both sets of his brothers’ eyes on him, watching him critically. He looked at his eldest brother for assistance, “Michael…” He pled.

Michael frowned, “I’ll get the holy water.”

“Michael, I’m not a demon!”

“ _Christo!”_ Lucifer stated firmly, watching for Castiel’s reaction. When the younger man didn’t flinch or react in any way, Lucifer shrugged, “Not a demon then.”

Michael nodded, “Shapeshifter perhaps? Cut him, see if he reacts to the silver.”

“Or you could let me do it myself!” Castiel flushed, getting his own knife from his pocket. Both Lucifer and Michael watched the young hunter as he made a small cut on the back of his hand. After seeing Castiel’s blood well up without any burning in reaction, they relaxed. Castiel rolled his eyes, “Now that we’ve established that I’m still your baby brother, why don’t you calm down?”

“Sorry, I just watched my girlfriend be consumed in the same hellfire that killed Mom, forgive me if I’m a bit distrustful!”

“Enough!”

Both brothers stopped their argument at Michael’s firm command. The eldest Ruger brother took a deep breath, obviously calming himself, “This is no time to dissolve into fighting. Castiel, have you been keeping a secret from me?”

There was no way Castiel could keep a secret from his brother Michael. Not after his brother had practically raised him, “Yes…” Castiel grumbled, refusing to look at his older brothers.

Finally, after several moments of tense silence, Lucifer spoke, “Well? Are you going to tell us?”

Castiel winced, “There’s…this voice…”

“Possession or haunting?” Both Lucifer and Michael asked at once, before looking at each other.

“Neither, it’s like nothing we’ve dealt with before.” Castiel rubbed his eyes tiredly with the heels of his palms, “He only speaks to me when we’re in danger…he claims to be an angel…”

Michael blinked, clearly not expecting Castiel’s answer, “Does this…angel have a name?”

The youngest brother sagged in his seat, “…I’ve just been calling him Dean…”

Lucifer snorted, “That’s worse than the time you had a pet bumblebee named Jimmy.”

The corner of Michael’s lip twitched into the beginnings of a smile before settling back into their usual determined expression, “Regardless, this needs to be explored…we need to make sure this truly is an angel you are speaking to Castiel. We’ll see what Father Joshua has to say on the topic. But first…let’s get Gabriel.”


End file.
